Experimental Gaming
by MySlashyFriend
Summary: Edward and Jasper are gaming buddies. And then they do other stuff. Geekslash written for AG because she's awesome.


**A/N: I wrote this ages ago and sent it to AG for her birthday. She'd kept us entertained with her words and humor for over two years and I wanted to do something to thank her, and what better way than with geekslash, right? Anyway, it was always my intention to post this but time just got away from me and now she's left :'( **

**Better late than never...**

**For AngstyG**

**xxx**

**And thanks to revvy for the super quick beta job. I messed around with it a bit more after that and I'm sure I left lots of mistakes.**

**Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

* * *

><p>In the far corner of Forks High's cafeteria sat two boys, invisible to the majority of the student population. They chewed with mouths open as they hunched, their too long and slightly greasy hair veiling their eyes from the rest of the world. They'd been constant companions in high school, working their way through awkward adolescence by simply avoiding it. Hours were spent inside, away from the rest of the world, competing over animated battles of speed and will.<p>

The blond one, Jasper, swiped at his nose and sniffed. He suffered from allergies almost all year round, but for some strange reason, it was worse during fall. His friend and comrade in virtual arms, Edward, was immune to the sound now, unaware the habit had increased in both frequency and volume over the years, grating on everyone but them. A low, guttural snort followed as Jasper cleared his throat.

"They're definitely going away this weekend," Jasper said once his phlegm had dispersed sufficiently.

Edward nodded, used to the routine. Jasper's mother was a vain woman, and while she didn't mistreat Jasper, she wasn't exactly fond of him. She much preferred his beautiful and popular sister, Rosalie, and would often take her on overnight trips to Seattle where they would shop during the day and stay in plush hotels at night. Rosalie would return with new clothes for Jasper—her guilty offering for being the object of their mother's love. If Jasper cared, he never gave any indication, instead seeming content just to have the house to himself. It was just the ways things were.

"I pretended like I wanted to go, too, and Mom totally caved on getting me Rampage so I'd stay home."

This news caused Edward to glance up from his mac 'n' cheese and gape at Jasper. New game releases were the highlight of their lives, allowing them something to look forward to—a Friday evening to Sunday lunch devoid of substantial sleep and adequate nutrition. It was what they lived for.

Rampage was _the_ new game of the moment, the one everyone was talking about—especially him and Jasper. Edward had never dreamed they'd actually get the chance to play it, though, because Rampage was classed as adult gaming—the hardcore stuff his own parents would never let him play.

That hadn't stopped the boys from reading about it. Everyone was raving about the graphics, how realistic they were, and it was packed with everything: violence, crime, and from all reliable reports, even some nudity. Jasper's mother would rather die than admit to Edward's straight-laced parents that she'd bought her son questionable entertainment, so there was no risk of her ever telling. The boys would be free to explore it to their hearts' content this weekend.

Edward took another forkful of food into his mouth and chewed while he spoke. "My dad's gonna drop me off after school. He almost wouldn't let me stay over, said he's worried about my sleep debt." Edward paused to scoff and eat more. "But there's some medical function on and Alice is staying at some girl's house, and he prefers me staying at your place to being home by myself." He grinned, revealing traces of his lunch. "Only because he has no idea what we'll be doing."

They both snickered, which soon progressed into uncontrollable snorts. The students who had the misfortune to be closest cringed and leaned away as though it were possible to catch "geekiness" from the specks of flying spittle. Neither Edward nor Jasper noticed, blissfully unaware of anyone but themselves.

.=.=.=.=.

Something happened that Friday evening which shattered their perfect surface-deep existence. Rampage turned out to be everything they'd hoped . . . and so much more. The graphics really were realistic, to the point where it was difficult to remember they were witnessing animation. The content was aggressive and bloody, and definitely not suitable for their young, impressionable eyes.

The main player did as the title suggested—he went on a rampage. But the boys had never expected the rampage to involve _sex_. And not only did it involve sex, it seemed to be the character's fastest way to increase his strength, so you kind of had to do it. A lot.

Both the boys in the room were rendered abnormally quiet as they dealt with their automatic response to the scenes. Gaming was usually a way for them to avoid thinking about all this stuff, but now it had invaded their protective shell. The elephant was glaring them down, waiting for them to breach hitherto unmentionable subjects.

Edward desperately wanted to go take a shower and jack off, but he was pretty sure Jasper would know what he was up to, and he was also pretty sure jacking off in your friend's bathroom was not cool. So instead he stayed on the couch, uncomfortably aroused, and tried to appease his instincts with promises to do it later.

Of course, Jasper was in the same boat, only his was more unsteady. He was in control of Max—the rampager. He was the orchestrator of his own perilous condition. As soon as he realized that, he did something he'd never done before.

Clearing his voice, he said, "I think I need a break." He pressed pause on his controller and put it down quickly, as though breaking contact could somehow rid him of his body's demanding reaction.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief. "Me too," he agreed, before realizing how eager he sounded.

Jasper glanced in his direction and noticed the strained look on Edward's face and the awkward way he was sitting and was relieved to see he wasn't the only one affected by the content.

"It's . . . ah . . . a bit more graphic then I was expecting." Jasper admitted, and when Edward's dilated pupils met his, they seemed to relax.

"Way more graphic," Edward corrected. He ran his hand through his hair while his pale cheeks flamed with embarrassment. Jasper and he had never really talked about this sort of thing before, and he had no idea what was appropriate.

Jasper, always the slightly more comfortable of the two, plunged ahead. "Like when she was giving him head in the gas station bathroom, that was . . ." he paused, a little lost for words. "really graphic."

Edward nodded his agreement, diligently recalling the scene. He crossed his legs and uncrossed then after noting how unnatural he looked. He felt uncomfortable trying to hide his erection but couldn't quite bring himself to grab a cushion. That would be too obvious. He wondered how Jasper could be so much more relaxed about this.

"Have you ever . . .?" he asked out of curiosity but stopped when it came to actually saying the words. This was definitely crossing some kind of boundary. And hadn't Edward heard this was the sort of thing girls talked about.

Jasper was tempted to lie and garner respect, but he knew Edward well enough to know he'd want details.

"Nah." He didn't bother asking Edward the same thing. There was no way his friend would have been able to keep something like that to himself. He would have needed to analyse everything about it, tearing apart every action and word.

"I wonder what it feels like?" Edward asked, his eyes glazing over slightly in wonder.

"Well, I've heard . . . read . . . online, that it's the best. I mean, you can imagine right? It would be all slippery and just... all around." Jasper swallowed, his Adam's apple a thick lump in his throat.

Edward imagined it too, and grew in response. It _would_ be awesome. "I can't wait," he muttered, his voice full of eagerness.

Jasper tried to imagine getting a blow-job, but he just couldn't picture as a reality. No one even wanted to sit next to him, let alone suck his dick.

"I wonder how much it would cost," Jasper mused, revealing the direction of his thoughts.

Edward's weren't far behind, so he quickly caught on. "I don't think I'd ever have enough money for that. It'd have to cost like a thousand dollars or something, right?"

Jasper sniffed and snorted and pushed his hair out of the way. "I guess we'll just have to try and meet someone?" he said uncertainly. He really didn't like their chances, but for the chance of a blow job, he had to try.

Edward agreed, picturing a similar scenario in his mind. Unable to compete with his body's need, he stood up quickly, grabbling his bag to hide his bulge.

"I'm gonna take a shower," he muttered, feeling Jasper's curious eyes follow him all the way out of the room.

.=.=.=.=.

The boys were thoroughly tired by Sunday afternoon, sated by their latest gaming binge. Edward returned to his own home, and that night, they were both thankful for the privacy to indulge in their latest rampage-induced fantasies. On Monday morning, they emerged, scruffy and oily-haired, walking the corridors of high school in the bubble that separated them from everyone else.

At lunch, they sat at their usual table and ate heartily, refuelling their bodies after the weekend's events. After a few moments though, Jasper caught wind of something different. Years of taking in details and searching for a movement had honed his instincts to alert him of abnormalities, and right now, somewhere in the cafeteria, something had changed.

Jasper saw her first, staring at them from a nearby table. He scowled, but she didn't look away, instead whispering to the girl beside her. That's when Jasper realized she hadn't even seen him. She'd been staring at Edward.

Jasper nudged him to let him know. "A new girl is staring at you."

Edward glanced up at Jasper from his plate and followed the direction of his nod to see Jessica Stanley and an unfamiliar face. Jessica always made him nervous. She was too loud and made nasty jokes about his hygiene, so he went to great lengths to avoid her. This new girl didn't seem to have the same attitude, blushing and looked terribly embarrassed. Edward swept the hair out of his eyes and gave Jasper his commentary.

"She looks scared."

Jasper agreed, "Yeah."

Edward looked back to his plate and forgot all about the new girl.

.=.=.=.=.

The next weekend, Jasper's mom was home, so the boys weren't going to be able to sit up for two days straight playing video games. Edward was still planning on sleeping over though.

He showed up on Friday afternoon as usual. Mrs. Hale ruffled his hair a little too energetically when she greeted him at the door, then she bent over and flashed her cleavage at him, making him shy away.

"You're growing up so fast, Eddie," she crooned and ran her hand down his back as she steered him into the house. Jasper's dad died when he was ten, and for the last couple of years it was pretty obvious that Mrs. Hale was getting lonely. Edward felt sorry for her but he knew that saying anything only made her more handsie, so he did the usual and headed straight for Jasper's room, barricading them inside as soon as he was through the door.

"Your mom is creepy."

"I know," Jasper agreed. He had no problem admitting something like that with Edward.

"So, what are we gonna play tonight?"

"I was thinking . . ." Jasper said before stopping and chewing on the inside of his mouth.

"Rampage?" Edward finished hesitantly.

Jasper nodded and an awkward silence settled over them. Rampage meant being aroused, and they both knew it. But it was new and exciting to feel that way, intoxicating, and they both enjoyed it despite the uncomfortable side-effects.

They played with the volume low so Mrs. Hale wouldn't come and bother them, and were pleased to discover the sex part wasn't nearly as confronting this time. Its effect on them hadn't lessened, but for some reason expecting it made everything less embarrassing. They happily took turns blowing up civilians and police officers and then restocking on energy by fucking prostitutes. Techniques were discussed and analysed, and they even figured out how to have two at the same time.

Jasper's mom rapped on the door at midnight and let Jasper know she was going to bed and that she absolutely did not want to hear a peep. She always said that, but both the boys knew she medicated herself, and that in conjunction with the straight vodka she drank meant she could sleep through practically anything.

Despite that, they started to wind down the game. They did have a tendency to get a little too involved and start loudly yelling instructions, and neither of them wanted to keep Rose up. Jasper directed Max to finish hiding bombs in the police department, and then thinking it would be a good idea to stock up on health for the next day, he hijacked a car and drove to the brothel.

He paid for two hookers and they led him through to back and started making out on the lounge in front of him. The boys watched as Max began to stroke himself, and when one of the women noticed, she crawled to him and began to suck.

Edward had spent the whole evening anticipating taking his shower, and it was so close to the time when he'd finally be able to get off that he was finding it harder to restrain himself. He watched the screen as patiently as he could but when he just couldn't take it anymore, he crept his hand down and pressed it against his erection. At that moment, he didn't care that his best friend was in the room, or that it might have been inappropriate. His brain was overcome with his need to jack off and he just hoped Jasper hadn't noticed.

Jasper did see, and he exhaled slowly in surprise. He was just as turned on as Edward, and seeing his friend touching himself like that was like throwing open a floodgate. Personally, he didn't have any problems with putting himself on display like that, but never in a million years have thought Edward would do it. It was like he'd just gotten a green light, so he slipped his hand lower and touched his own erection, groaning as he simultaneously applied and relieved pressure.

The noise caused Edward to glance over at Jasper and their eyes met just as Edward realized they were doing the same thing. He was a little shocked but when he began to question what they were doing, he heard Jasper's zipper and quickly shut off his brain. For the past week, he'd been jerking off to thoughts of Rampage, and now he had the opportunity to do it for real.

He opened his own fly and tugged down his jocks, then stalled as he faced the unfamiliarity. Edward's parents didn't let him close his door so all of his wanking was conducted in the shower, and this was most definitely not a shower. Still, he needed to get off, so he did what he normally did, sans soap. Across the room from his friend.

Jasper couldn't help smiling. He was finally getting to spank it as he watched Max getting blown. The other women crept over and pushed the first one out of the way, then she was bobbing in front of him. Jasper wet his fingers and tried to think of his hand as someone's mouth. It was pretty effective, and he made some more involuntary noise. He'd never noticed that he was so . . . audible, and he glanced at Edward to see if he was bothering him. Edward was strung so tight, his whole body tensed as his hand moved furiously over his penis. Jasper wanted to tell him to slow down, to enjoy it, but then he thought that might be a bit weird. Their eyes met again and Jasper's body had a weird reaction, making him groan at the sight of Edward on the brink of an orgasm. He wanted to touch him, to drag him close and tug at his skin and lick his face.

The noises were doing Edward in. Every time one escaped Jasper, it made Edward's insides tense and his hips thrust. He went faster and was chaffing a bit but he didn't want to stop when he was so close. The slight stinging won out though and he had to take a break, pausing to shake his cramping hand.

Jasper had been watching Edward closely and all he could think about was how he had to be feeling raw. He could only assume Edward's technique was lacking from a not having enough practice, and Jasper had plenty. He was willing to share his discoveries with Edward, but he had no idea how to bring it up.

Then he had an idea, and before he'd thought much about it, he blurted it out. "If I do it for you, would you do it back?"

Edward froze and stared at Jasper. His friend had just offered to touch his dick. No one else had ever touched his dick, and he'd been so curious, anxious even to find out how it would feel. It didn't even occur to him to be put off that it was a boy, that's how eager he was to finally make it a reality. He took a deep breath, trying to stay his anticipation, looked at Jasper and slowly nodded his ascent.

Jasper tucked himself in then stood up and went to sit next to Edward, only to discover there wasn't enough room. Edward had to shuffle over, his naked dick wavering with the movement and making him feel self-conscious.

Jasper squeezed in beside him and sat, palms flat against his thighs, and wondered what to do next. He'd never really planned it out, just sort of impulsively thought of it.

Edward, equally as unsure, asked. "What should I do?"

"Can you lean back?" Jasper asked. Edward nodded and reclined, shifting his ass forward to give Jasper better access.

Jasper tentatively reached across and ran his hand over Edward's unabated erection causing him to shift and hiss. The reaction was unexpected—that the slightest touch from him could cause Edward to move like that—and he was bolstered by the result.

He looked Edward straight in the eye. "It feels better when it's wet," he said, then spit into his hand and wrapped it around Edward's dick, slipping it up and down and causing Edward to moan.

"Oh God . . ."

Jasper did all of his favorite movements to Edward, coaxing more expressions to fly from Edward's lips. He was in ecstasy, and the more Jasper touched him, the higher he flew, feeling all sorts of new things in different ways. He watched Jasper's hand moving, slipping over his skin, squeezing just enough. Then he watched his arm, and the tendons and muscles flex. His eyes travelled up to Jasper's hair and then he was staring at his mouth, wishing like crazy that Jasper would suck him. He imagined the dirty blond hair bouncing up and down in his lap, then grabbed onto the couch, clinging to it for dear life as his hips began pumping

"Coming," he grunted, and Jasper had just enough time to get out of the way. As he watched the cum pump out of Edward's body, he was exhilarated, amazed he was able to bring Edward to orgasm so fast.

The thrill didn't abate at all, because then he remembered it was his turn now.

Edward took a few moments to clean up and recover, his body heaving and spent from being so thoroughly worked over. A chuffed smile came to his lips, and he scoffed in amusement, unaware of Jasper's waning patience.

Trying to hurry him up, Jasper spoke, "Good, huh?"

Edward's gaze snapped to Jasper's face and it dawned on him suddenly that he now had to do it as well. He was hesitant, not because he was averse to the idea, but because Jasper had just quite clearly demonstrated he was much better at . . . that sort of thing. Edward felt inadequate and really didn't want to disappoint Jasper, not when his had been so good.

Jasper mistook Edward's internal deliberation. "You said you would!" he complained.

Edward shirked back. "I will . . ." he eyed Jasper's groin, fear of failure spreading through his blood vessels. "It's just . . ." He looked back into Jasper's eyes, swallowed and continued, "It probably won't be very good."

Jasper's needs were temporarily halted as he took in Edward's despondent expression. "Why is that?" he asked.

Edward scrunched his face up, embarrassed to tell his friend but wanting him to understand. "Well, you know how my mom and dad are really strict?" Jasper nodded. "They make us keep our doors open all the time, and if we don't, they'll come in without knocking, so I can't really do it in there."

Jasper pondered how awkward it would be if his mother behaved like that. He'd had reason over the years to be grateful for her lack of attention, but now he wanted to nominate her for mother of the year. He was free to spend as much time in his room indulging in his second favorite pastime as he pleased.

"Can't you do it somewhere else?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

"I do . . ." Edward glanced down at his lap, belatedly remembering to close up his pants. "I do it in the shower," he admitted.

Jasper hummed in understanding, picturing Edward under the running stream of water, dick in hand. It was criminal that he was only able to spank it during that time. That meant he'd never spent hours at it, seeing how many times he could go in a row. He'd never been able to take it slow, spending forever building up to his climax. He'd never been able to do it while watching porn!

No wonder Edward hadn't been able to control himself.

Jasper leaned closer to Edward, smirking with all the confidence of a wanking guru. "You can always do it here," he said eagerly, then realized that may have been a bit weird. Edward didn't seem to notice though, instead looking relieved by Jasper's suggestion.

"Okay," he answered.

Jasper laughed, enjoying the idea he was going to help liberate his friend. As he began to plan out some of the sessions they could have, their earlier agreement was completely forgotten.

Edward still remembered. Gingerly, he reached across, praying to Yoda that he wouldn't hurt Jasper's cock. He reached Jasper's fly and waited for him to move back to give him better access.

With surprise, Jasper realized Edward was ready to reciprocate, and he quickly complied, even going so far as to unzip and pull himself out for Edward. He was only semi-hard now, having been a little distracted by their conversation.

Edward moved closer into Jasper's side, then wrapped his fingers around Jasper's dick and ran them up and down a couple of times, trying to see if that would work.

It did.

Jasper grew quickly in Edward's hand. As experienced as Jasper was at touching himself, having someone else do it was new. He didn't hold back, using his hips to gently pump himself in Edward's hand and gyrating to get better coverage and pressure. Edward moved mechanically—up and down, gradually increasing the pace—which wasn't the best. Jasper was used to variety.

He was also used to some lubrication.

"Wait," he said, interrupting Edward. "Wet your hand—like I did."

Wide-eyed, Edward withdrew his hand, brought it to his mouth, and spit in it, the action inadvertently arousing Jasper even more. When Edward returned to Jasper's dick, he easily slid across the skin, causing Jasper to groan. He hit a particularly sensitive spot and Jasper's own hand reflexively sprung forth, grasping onto to Edward's and stilling his movements.

Their eyes met and Jasper felt the familiar need swelling inside him. He wanted to come, right now. Using his own hand, he began to guide Edward, showing exactly how he liked to be touched.

Edward watched, curious and intrigued, as Jasper essentially fucked his hand. He learned the way Jasper liked to do it, and was eager to try it out on himself. With one last guttural groan, Jasper came, and Edward felt every shudder and answering spurt, right down in his own dick.

He was ready to do it again.

.=.=.=.=.

For the next few months, Jasper and Edward indulged in their second favorite pastime almost as much as they did their first. And thanks to Jasper's mother's short supply of affection, they'd even managed to combine their two loves a few times. Edward was now familiar with Jasper's extensive porn collection and also the benefit of real lubricant. He stood a little higher, his eyes were brighter, and he smiled more.

It was just a matter of time really until someone noticed.

Bella Swan had already noticed. She noticed her very first day at Forks High, and even though she had listened to Jessica's explanation that Edward was unhygienic, utterly uninteresting, and obviously gay, Bella was finding it harder to keep her eyes from drifting over to his table during lunch. All she saw when she looked at him was a beautiful, albeit greasy, boy. Lately he'd looked so happy, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

That day in Biology, Bella overcame her fear of social unpopularity and approached Edward.

"Hi," she said, standing in front of his lab table. He didn't respond at all, just kept his head down, busily writing something.

As foolish as she felt, she couldn't just leave, so she prepared to speak louder, and this time added an arm tap. "Hi," she repeated.

Edward looked up from where he'd been planning his next Life Encounters strategy to see the new girl (well, newer than most) standing in front of him. She was smiling and not turning her nose up, and he was confused as to what she was doing.

"I was wondering . . ." she began, before glancing around and looking back, "would you like to come to the movies with me this weekend.

Edward had gaming/porn-watching with Jasper this weekend, but he couldn't say that out loud. Then he realized she'd just asked him out.

"You want to go . . . to the movies? With me?" he asked, seeking confirmation.

She brightened and smiled, nodding enthusiastically.

It was Edward's chance to glance around, looking for the crowd of students waiting to mock him.

"I'm serious," she added, seeing his suspicion. "I want to get to know you better. I don't care what anyone else thinks."

Edward quit his surveillance and instead examined her. She didn't look like a mean person, and he'd be an idiot to turn down a date with an actual girl, so he nodded.

Bella felt a rush of excitement with her success. In her opinion, Edward was the best looking guy in school, even if the others didn't think so, and she would be going on a date with him! Barely containing a delighted teenage squeal, she made her way back to her desk, already planning their Saturday night in Port Angeles.

.=.=.=.=.

"Bella asked me to go to the movies with her," Edward commented casually to Jasper at lunch the next day.

Jasper raised his head, uncertain if he'd heard correctly, then scanned the cafeteria until he spied Bella Swan staring in their direction.

"She did?"

"Uh huh." Edward took another bite, before proceeding to talk as he chewed. "It's on Saturday night, so I can still come over on Friday."

Jasper glanced at Bella again before answering, "Okay."

Something about this situation didn't sit right with him. As much as he knew he should be happy that Edward was going on a date, he wasn't. The thought of him having fun with someone else made him feel empty and . . . jealous.

Never one to worry over nothing, Jasper shrugged off the feeling and instead focused on his food and the thought of what Edward and he were going to be doing. They'd mostly been whacking off together, only rarely doing it to each other. But over the last couple of weeks, it was getting increasingly harder for Jasper to resist doing more. There was an unspoken rule that they only touched what they had to touch to get off, nothing else. But Jasper wanted to run his hands along Edward's chest. He wanted to lick his earlobes and rake his fingers through his hair and grind on his lap. Mostly, he wanted to touch Edward with his lips.

It was Jasper's big plan that this weekend, he would just do it and deal with whatever consequences arose. And now that Bella was possibly on the scene, he had to do it. He had to know.

.=.=.=.=.

On Friday evening, Edward showed up as usual, panicking slightly as he fled from Jasper's mom's grip. The night began exactly the same as it had been lately, with gaming of a more R-rated nature. As the night progressed, Edward dropped a few hints about which video he wanted to see, and when the time came, Jasper complied, picking it out and loading it up. Then he turned out the main light, leaving the room lit only by the screen.

Edward was quick to yank his pants down and get to work. The first wank on Friday was the one he'd been looking forward to all week, so he was never able to control himself. He had no modesty in front of Jasper now, completely comfortable with him around. He fondled himself as he watched, waiting for a steamier scene before getting too worked up. Soon enough, things were happening and he reached for the lube they now kept close by.

Jasper reached across and stopped Edward from picking it up. He planned on using his lips tonight, and he didn't want the artificial taste. When Edward gave him a questioning glance, he swallowed his nerves, then made his way over to kneel between Edward's thighs.

Edward took a lot longer than most people to catch onto what was about to happen. "Jasper?" he asked.

Jasper cocked an eyebrow at him, shrugging in a "here goes nothing" kind of way, and that's when the penny dropped for Edward. His friend leaned in, frightfully close to his erection, and Edward was going to tell him he shouldn't but his voice just wouldn't work. He felt Jasper's hot breath across his skin and his fingers as they caressed, then he watched as Jasper's lips pressed against him, a dry, intimate kiss, and he sighed.

Jasper opened his lips and licked his tongue along Edward's dick, enjoying the garbled sounds he provoked. Then he opened his mouth and began to suck him, just like they did in his porn.

"Oh God," Edward groaned. He'd thought about this so much, about how it would feel, and now it was happening—finally! He knew he was being loud, but he couldn't help it. It just felt so damn _good_. On some level, he'd been hoping Jasper would suck him off. They'd been doing stuff together for months now, and he'd easily rationalized this was just a next step sort of thing, but he could never bring himself to ask. That Jasper had been thinking the same thing made Edward relieved.

Jasper worked Edward as well as he could, drawing forth sounds as though Edward were his instrument. He used his lips all over him, sucking and kissing and feeling. When Edward muttered "Coming," Jasper was almost disappointed it was over. But then Edward's cum shot out, proof of how much he'd enjoyed Jasper's lips, and Jasper grinned lazily as he started to stroke himself.

Edward's mind floated back down and he gradually became aware of the scene in front of him. There was a lot of mess—more than usual—and Jasper was still right there.

"Jasper," he panted. "That was awesome."

Again Jasper grinned, and Edward laughed, giddy from the euphoria.

Edward mopped himself up with tissues and then stared at Jasper's dick. He knew he should reciprocate, but could he? Jasper hadn't made any mention of it, but he did look especially horny, all hooded eyes and deep breaths. Edward had to at least try.

He fixed his clothes and then patted the couch next to him, invited Jasper to sit. Jasper looked a little surprised, but he didn't hesitate. Edward mimicked what Jasper had done and knelt between his knees, licking his lips.

"How do I do it?" he asked.

Jasper pointed his dick at Edward. "Just suck on the end." He was shaking in anticipation, far too turned on by the sight of Edward on his knees.

Edward leaned in and put his mouth over it, belatedly remembering he could close his lips. It wasn't so bad, although it was nowhere near all the way in. He pressed his tongue up against the base and Jasper moaned aloud.

Bolstered, Edward experimented with moving. He couldn't go very deep, nothing at all like the girls in the movies, and he worried it wasn't enough.

"Is this okay?"

Jasper grunted, then threaded his fingers through Edward hair and forced him back down. As raked his hand through the bronze strands, he had a stray thought of how much he liked Edward's hair, then Edward swallowed around him and he threw his head back, struck dumb by the sensation.

Edward did his best and felt enormous relief when Jasper finally said, "Coming." He smiled at the sight of his friend, all flushed and exhausted, and they both chuckled in mild embarrassment.

"That was awesome," Jasper agreed.

.=.=.=.=.

Because Edward had his date with Bella on Saturday, Jasper didn't see him again until Monday. His trained eyes immediately spotted the difference, singling out how Bella was waiting in the car park alone. _Waiting._ Then Edward pulled up and she walked toward his car, smiling and gripping her bag nervously. Edward climbed out and she took his hand. _Took _his hand. Then they walked together.

Jasper let out a particularly loud snort. He turned and headed away so that he wouldn't have to see them like that. After Friday night, he'd hoped Edward wouldn't go on his date, but he obviously had and now Jasper felt bitter.

At lunch, Edward sat down at their table, surprising Jasper because he'd been expecting to be left alone. He felt better that Edward wasn't abandoning their friendship for her, and smiled a little at.

Edward didn't understand the kind smile. He'd never even considered sitting anywhere else.

They ate in silence to begin with, well, as silent as two boys could eat, but Jasper felt the lack of conversation weighing on them and wondered if anything was wrong.

"How did your date go?" he asked.

Edward pushed his hair out of his eyes and answered. "It was all right."

Jasper might have left it at that, but then Edward's brow scrunched up and he didn't look all right.

"What happened?" Jasper prodded, giving Edward his opening.

Edward glanced at Jasper, and then across the room at Bella. He wanted to tell Jasper everything but it was just so embarrassing. "She . . . er . . . kissed me. Tried to." He flamed in humiliation.

"Tried to?"

Edward swallowed and then reminded himself this was Jasper, and Jasper might be able to help him.

"She caught me by surprise. I just wasn't expecting it. One minute we were just walking along and the next she had her face in mine and then she tried to stick her . . ." he screwed up his nose and continued," . . . tongue in my mouth, and I wasn't expecting it." Edward shook his head, not comfortable with the memory. "I bit her, by accident. It was awful."

Jasper felt terrible for him. Out of all the things that could go wrong for a first kiss, this had to be the worst. But Bella had still been there this morning, holding his hand.

"Did she get angry? Upset?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that." Edward scratched at his head, the build-up of oil irritating his scalp. "She was really nice about it, but now we're like a couple or something." At this, Edward went silent. He wasn't really certain what a relationship with Bella entailed, and he'd been thinking about it a lot. The one conclusion he'd managed was that he was pretty sure things the things he and Jasper had been doing were going to have to stop.

"Oh," Jasper said, coming to the same realization. "That's great," he added, trying to sound happy for them. He stared at his plate, pushing around the last few fries with his fork, and reminded himself they'd still be friends. They could still indulge in their number one favorite past time.

Edward pulled at his hair. "It's just . . . I have no idea how to be part of a couple. What am I supposed to do?" With his eyes he was begging Jasper, _help me._

Jasper opened his mouth as if to speak but was stopped by the screeching of the empty chair as it was pulled back, the sound jarring his very bones.

"Hi, Edward. Hey Jasper, do you mind if I sit with you guys?"

.=.=.=.=.

Months later, Bella and Edward were still dating. This Friday night, instead of playing the latest edition of Rampage that Jasper's mom had bought for him, they were going on a double date. Bella had been bringing it up in conversation, mentioning how Jasper should get a girlfriend so they could all go out together. Then she flat out asked him to find someone, so he picked the only girl he could think of: Edward's little sister, Alice.

Alice was two years younger than Edward and Jasper, and she was really short for her age. He felt like a giant beside her, watching the top of her head as they walked along. They'd all been to dinner, and were now dawdling back via the esplanade so Bella and Alice could chat. Jasper wasn't really enjoying himself, but it was nearly the end of the night and Edward had said he'd sleep over when they were done so they could play Rampage II.

"This was really nice, wasn't it?" Bella commented.

"I had a great time," Alice said brightly. She was holding onto Jasper's arm, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to have been asked out by him. The younger kids at school had not yet inherited the bias that classed Jasper as an undesirable geek. She just saw him as a handsome, slightly ill-kempt loner.

"We should do this again," Bella added, and not surprisingly, Alice agreed. Jasper absolutely didn't, but he kept quiet.

They rounded the bend and their parked cars came into sight. Edward opened the door for Bella, threw a quick "I'll see you soon," to Jasper, and then drove off into the night, leaving Jasper alone with Alice.

She grinned widely. "Thanks for inviting me."

"No worries," he said, copying Edward by opening her door.

Just as he thought she was going to ease into the car, she pounced at him, dragging her tiny body up on the tips of her toes and planting her lips on his. She kissed him with all her might, clinging to his cheeks to keep him in reach, and trying like mad to slip him the tongue.

Jasper kept his lips firmly shut tight. His reaction to her kiss was revulsion, and if she squiggled her slimy tongue in his mouth, he just knew he would gag. So he closed his eyes and resisted letting her in, all the while trying to give the impression he was perfectly happy being kissed.

Alice wasn't an idiot, and she soon comprehended that Jasper didn't really want to kiss her. Disappointment flooded her mood and she lowered herself back to the ground, glancing anywhere other than at him.

"That was nice," Jasper lied, thinking it was probably the sort of thing she'd want to hear.

"No it wasn't," she countered.

He was grateful for her honesty but had no idea what else to say, so he gestured that she should sit in the car and then once they were both in, he started the engine and began the long drive home.

"Why did you even ask me out?" Alice said once they were out of Port Angeles. "I thought you must have liked me."

"I do like you." Alice gave him a scornful look and he realized his mistake. "Well, I do like you, just not like that. And I asked you out because Bella insisted I get a date."

"Why wouldn't you ask someone you liked then? Why drag me out here when you could have brought a girl you like?" After the words left her lips, Alice's eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Jasper didn't understand her reaction.

"Jasper," she continued. "Who _do_ you like?"

He stared out the windscreen as an image of her brother sprung to mind. "No one," he answered, shrugging as though it wasn't a big deal.

Alice nodded and sat back in her seat. "It's always the good-looking ones . . ." she muttered.

When Jasper dropped Alice off, she didn't try to kiss him again, instead giving him a relatively huge hug. He smiled and was glad they were finishing on okay terms. She ran inside and called out to Edward, and he came out a moment later carrying his bag.

He sat down in the passenger seat and placed his bag on his feet. "Okay, let's get out of here before Dad comes out."

Jasper quickly backed out of their driveway and drove to his house. They barely greeted his mom and Rose before heading to his room, closing the door, and cracking their fingers.

"Have you looked at it?" Edward asked.

"No. I said I'd wait for you."

Edward nodded his appreciation and then they both huddled over the console as Jasper loaded the game, both keen to blow off some steam after the awkward evening they'd had.

They fell into game mode, where comments were exchanged and strategy discussed. They played, no longer aroused by the sex scenes and viewing them with the same technicality as a doctor might, observing how that position would get them more strength, or how that dirty street whore reduced health. It was the same synergy they'd always shared, the partnership that made them unbeatable.

At around midnight, they began winding down. As Jasper saved where they were up to, Edward began to wonder about how Jasper's night had gone. His best friend had taken his little sister out on a date, and he was a little worried they would become a couple—like him and Bella.

"How did it go with Alice?" he asked.

Jasper snorted and laughed. "Not so great." At Edward's confused look, he elaborated. "She tried to kiss me, I didn't want to, then she called me on it in the car. She's cool now though."

Edward nodded and watched as Jasper packed away his controller, his forearm flexing.

"What about you and Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual. She likes to talk about stuff. Then there's always the kissing."

Bella and Edward had been together for a while now, and while Jasper was curious as to how far their relationship had progressed, he'd never felt like it was appropriate to ask. But now, back at the scene of their first ever blow jobs, it didn't seem weird at all.

"Do you do anything else?"

Edward paused for a moment. "No," he finally answered, partly ashamed of the fact. It had been a point of contention in their relationship recently.

"She doesn't want to?" Jasper asked.

Edward blushed. "No, it's . . . _I_ don't want to." He glanced up to see Jasper's reaction and was relieved to see him look faintly surprised. Although he hadn't expected Jasper to make fun of him, he was still irrationally scared he would.

Jasper wanted to smile, but he didn't. It would have been insensitive for him to be so happy that Edward's relationship with Bella wasn't perfect. He didn't need any details—just the knowledge that they were having a problem was enough.

A problem could possibly lead to a break-up.

Which would lead to more gaming.

Which might lead to more head.

Edward continued, "it's not that I don't like Bella, I do. But she wants me to . . . finger her, and I tried it and it was all sticky and hairy and I could smell _it_ . . ."

Jasper gagged a little and snorted to cover it up. That was not a description he would get out of his head any time soon.

"She thinks there's something wrong with me, and there's not. I mean, I got it up here, right? But I can't tell her about us, so I just sort of agreed with her."

Jasper smiled, putting Edward at ease about his confession. "She'll get over it," he added.

But Edward knew better. He knew that Bella wouldn't get used to this. In fact, she'd made it pretty clear she wanted to do more, and he'd have to if he wanted her to stop asking him if he was gay.

Bella's voice range in his ear: _"You know, Jessica said you were, but I never believed her. Are you sure you're not?"_

He looked over at Jasper again and wondered if maybe he was. There wasn't any desire right now, although the sight of Jasper's forearm earlier was kind of arousing. There was something about them he appreciated—their strength or tone—but did that make him gay? He had no idea what he was, and the constant analysis was leaving him drained and depressed.

"Do you wanna watch some porn?" Jasper suggested.

Edward nodded, realizing that would probably make him feel a little better.

.=.=.=.=.

A few weeks later, there was something unusual that set both the boys instincts off. Their ears pricked up and started taking in the conversations around them for the first time in weeks. They heard whispers of a new kid starting school, someone a bit _different_. They shrugged at each other—anyone from outside was considered different in Forks.

When Jasper first met Peter, he was shocked and mildly affronted. Peter was a close-talker, and he invaded personal space, even just for a casual greeting. His gait could only be described as strutting, and he had the bearing of someone born to perform—no knowledge of what being self-conscious involved. He strutted around the school like a prince admiring his subjects, completely immune to the whispers that followed in his wake.

Peter touched Jasper when he talked. It was a hand on his shoulder, or his arm, or his back. And as each day passed, Peter seemed to be near more often than not.

At lunch one day, Peter invited himself to their table and sat down in between the two boys. Bella scoffed at the intrusion, which made Jasper welcome Peter out of spite. Peter put his hand on Jasper's forearm and proceeded to tell a story loudly, his free hand slicing through the air with every inflection.

Edward really didn't like the way Peter's hand rested on Jasper's arm, almost possessive in the contact, and he stared at the join as if his eyes could somehow disintegrate Peter's limb.

As he was thinking nasty thoughts about Peter, he suddenly felt his hand on his shoulder.

"Edward, why so broody today? You're way cuter when you smile."

Edward couldn't tell if Peter was mocking him or not. He could _never_ tell. Peter's hand hadn't left his shoulder either, and he was smiling coyly as he rubbed along the bone. Peter's touch was odd, too. Not firm like Jasper, but not soft like Bella either, and there was something intimate about it.

Then Peter winked at him and Edward's suspicions began outright gnawing on his stomach lining.

Peter turned his attention back to Jasper, his hand still attached to Jasper's forearm, and began to talk animatedly about how they should hang out more outside of school. Jasper looked bright, illuminated by Peter's shine, and Edward cringed when he realized Jasper probably thought Peter was all right.

Edward scowled and Bella laughed, revealing she'd been watching his reactions. When Edward met her eyes, she rolled hers at Peter and that made Edward smile. At least he and Bella had that in common.

"So Jasper, what do you say?" Peter asked in reference to his attempts to see Jasper outside of school.

Jasper snuck a quick look at Edward to check, but found he was busy looking at Bella. "Do you like video games?" he asked Peter.

"Why yes, I do!"

.=.=.=.=.

On Friday, Edward arrived at Jasper's house and braced himself for his friend's mother's usual fawning. But when Mrs. Hale opened the door, her expression was concerned.

"Oh Edward, I'm so glad to see you, honey." She hurried him inside, pushing him in the direction of Jasper's room. "He's in there with that other boy."

Edward felt his stomach drop. He'd known that Peter was coming tonight, but he didn't realize he'd already be there. It was a change in their usual routine, and it upset Edward. It was like a harbinger of things to come, that things would change. It was like he just _knew_ that soon it would be Jasper and Peter, not Jasper and Edward as it had been for all these years past.

And then there was the other thing—the touching thing. Peter definitely touched Jasper more than anyone else. Edward knew it for a fact. He'd been watching.

Edward wasn't an idiot; he knew there was something . . . effeminate about Peter, and he was almost completely certain all that touching was Peter's way of flirting. That Jasper didn't seem to mind made Edward wonder if maybe Jasper liked it. Maybe he liked Peter.

"Edward! Hi! I can't believe how cool this set up is." Peter leant back on the couch and crossed his legs, lacing his fingers together over his knee.

"Hey," Edward greeted as he raised his eyebrows at Peter. That was definitely not a good position for gaming, and he was dressed in tight jeans, the sort of thing that got really uncomfortable after a couple of hours, and something like that was just an unnecessary distraction. Edward seriously doubted Peter's earlier claims that he loved gaming, but he pacified himself with the thought that all would be revealed as soon as it was Peter's turn.

Edward sat down on the edge of the couch, as far he could from Peter, and began unpacking his controller and supplies. From the corner of his eye, he eyed Jasper, relaxed and at ease next to his new friend. He didn't like that there was someone literally coming between them, but he didn't know what to do. Then he saw Peter casually place his hand on Jasper's knee and it felt as though the world tilted.

_No_, Edward thought. He didn't want Peter to touch Jasper. Secretly, Edward had been hoping his presence would prevent Peter's attempts to win over Jasper, but that didn't look to be the case. He cringed and ducked his head, pretending he hadn't noticed, then promised himself if it got any worse, he would just leave.

Jasper was surprised at how easy it was to be around Peter. Ever since Edward had been dating Bella, there had been a void in Jasper's life, and Peter seemed to fill it perfectly. Like tonight. Normally Jasper would be impatiently waiting for Edward to show up, resenting the fact he was probably spending time with Bella, but with Peter here, he'd hardly even noticed. And Peter was great company. He was an eager companion and he made Jasper feel really good about himself.

Jasper didn't even mind Peter touching his knee. He wouldn't normally have done something like that with Edward in the room, but it was innocent enough, so he hoped Edward wouldn't think too much of it. Truth be told, he'd been kind of wondering about Peter, and he thought maybe this was Peter's way of letting him know he was interested. Jasper caught Peter's eye and smiled, trying to show him that he was all right with what was happening, then he started setting up the game, thinking it would be a good idea to maintain the pretense.

They three boys began playing, and Edward's suspicions were confirmed when Peter turned out to not even have a clue how to work his controller. But rather than Jasper getting annoyed with his incompetence, he began coaching Peter, showing him how to do everything. It was time consuming and they were definitely touching too much. Edward shifted in his chair, pushing his hair out of his face and cursing having drunk so much Dr Pepper earlier. He needed to pee but didn't want to leave them alone together, so he held on tight.

He took his turn but his performance was subpar. He was distracted by his bladder and Peter, and it was affecting his game. After another half hour he couldn't put it off any longer, so he called a bathroom break and pressed pause.

Peter's eyes were bright as he watched Edward leave the room and as soon as the door was closed, he leaned in close to Jasper's ear.

"I really like you, Jasper," he said, his warm breath tickling and teasing Jasper. "Do you like me?"

Jasper's heart was thudding in his chest. He did like Peter. Not as much as he liked Edward, but Peter was his next best choice.

He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he said, "Yes."

Peter leaned in even closer, barely brushing his lips against Jasper's. It was entirely different to when Alice tried to kiss him. She'd been forceful and kind of harsh. Peter was . . . _sexy_. Finally, Peter stopped teasing and kissed Jasper, sweeping his tongue along Jasper's lips and making it so much more intimate. Jasper felt his insides swirl as he open his mouth and had his first proper kiss. He'd wanted to do this with Edward, but he convinced himself Peter felt just as good.

Peter moved his lips, deeply kissing Jasper and coaxing his arousal. Peter was an incredible kisser, dominating and perfectly in control, somehow knowing just what to do to turn Jasper on. He had Jasper groaning in his mouth in no time.

Then the door opened and Edward saw them—saw Peter all over Jasper, his hands and his mouth on Jasper's face. Something broke inside Edward at the sight, like an invisible dagger had severed his diaphragm, and he sucked in sharp, painful breath.

Peter eased away from Edward, then tried to look contrite as he looked toward Edward. "Busted," he said, amused by the situation.

Jasper was crashing hard from the high he'd just been on. Edward looked terrible, hurt even, and Jasper felt ashamed. He wondered if maybe Edward wouldn't like him now that he'd kissed Peter.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, fear of losing his friend overriding his brain.

Peter turned back to Jasper, annoyance clear on his face. "You don't have to be sorry," he said forcefully. "It's not like he's your boyfriend."

Jasper's panicked eyes flicked between Peter and Edward as he battled with his instinct. Edward wasn't his boyfriend, and Jasper was allowed to kiss other people. After all, Edward was always kissing Bella.

Peter's words reverberated in Edward's head, making him feel queasy and weak. He hadn't been able to stop things between Jasper and Peter; he'd failed, and there was no reason for him to stay there anymore. So he began grabbing his things, stuffing them into his back pack.

"You don't need to leave, Edward," Peter said. "It's just a kiss. People do it all the time," he mocked.

Edward shook his head slightly, thinking it wasn't the time to decide to hate Peter. "We were supposed to be gaming," he muttered, hurt and disappointed in himself.

Once he had everything together, he swung his bag over his shoulder, mumbled "See you Monday," and walked out the door. He managed it all without making eye contact with Jasper once.

.=.=.=.=.

The next day at school, Edward and Bella sat together at their own table.

And the day after that.

And the day after that.

Jasper would watch them from the corner of his eye. It was the first time his interest had ever been directed somewhere other than his own table, and he now saw the way people looked at him.

They scowled when they caught him looking, or screwed up their face. And when Peter sat down next to him, surreptitiously placing his hand on Jasper's thigh under the table, some girls even giggled. Jasper felt mocked, unwanted, abnormal.

"You make that noise a lot," Peter remarked next to him.

Jasper was sprung from his melancholic reverie, turning his attention to his bright and happy friend.

"What noise?" he asked.

"That whole sniffing, snorting thing. It's kinda gross."

Jasper caught himself before he snorted again. "I have allergies," he explained, feeling worse. He wasn't even good enough for Peter.

"Hey, don't look like that! You didn't seem to notice so I was just letting you know. Don't take it the wrong way."

Jasper nodded, entirely sullen, and proceeded to pick at his lunch. Peter watched, concerned for his friend, and didn't fail to notice the number of times Jasper snuck glances at Edward.

"You two have been friends for a long time, huh?"

Jasper looked up from his plate, a little embarrassed at having been caught, and nodded.

"If he won't accept you for who you are, you're better off without him," Peter told him.

Jasper took a deep breath then looked apologetically at Peter when he realized he'd snorted again.

Edward had never told Jasper he'd made those noises.

Peter brightened up. "Is it all right if I come over this afternoon?" he asked. "There's something I want to show you."

Jasper tore his eyes away from Edward for the tenth time in as many minutes and nodded. Peter smiled widely, then tucked into his food with gusto. He could make Jasper smile again; he was certain of it.

Edward saw the way Peter smiled and his chest clenched in an unpleasant way. He didn't like being apart from Jasper—it wasn't normal. Bella was thrilled to be the sole object of his attention for once, and she was gloating, talking loudly and making flamboyant gestures with her hands. Edward didn't appreciate the unnecessary attention she was drawing.

Bella's friends didn't like him, he was aware of that. Some of the boys at the next table were openly glaring, and Edward wished he could just go and sit in the corner like he used to. But he couldn't, not while Peter was there. Not now that he hated Peter.

"What are you doing this afternoon?" Bella asked.

"Nothing," he responded.

She grinned, and it made Edward worry. Bella hadn't tried doing anything with him lately, not since the failed fingering, but her tone indicated she had something in mind.

"I know this great hairdresser," she said, her eyes going wide in excitement. "And I made us an appointment!"

Edward furrowed his brow in confusion. Was it some weird sort of date? He'd never heard of people getting their hair done together, but then again, he wasn't exactly in the loop on the whole dating thing.

"Okay," he said uncertainly.

She smiled again, proudly gazing at him. "Wait until you see what a good wash and cut can do."

.=.=.=.=.

Peter knocked on Jasper's door, hoping it was him who answered. It wasn't, and Jasper's mother greeted him with a hand on her hip and a scowl on her face.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi, Mrs. Hale. I'm here to see Jasper. He's expecting me."

She reluctantly pulled the door open and stepped aside. "I hope you're not the reason he's been all mopey lately," she said.

Peter smiled at her, happy to be able to set the record straight. "No Ma'am, I believe that's because of Edward."

"Oh," she said, her face falling. "But he's such a nice boy."

Peter shrugged, not sure of what he should say in answer to that. Edward was the object of Jasper's affection, so he was a little biased.

He headed toward Jasper's room, and let himself inside, closing and locking the door behind him. Jasper was sprawled out on his bed, staring at the ceiling, looking forlorn. He didn't even budge when Peter cleared his throat.

"Hi," he said, hoping to rouse Jasper.

It sort of worked. Jasper did roll onto his side. "Hey," he answered.

Peter let his eyes slide over Jasper, taking in his long jean-clad legs and his fitted sweater. The best way to take someone's mind of something was to distract them, so he approached Jasper, knelt in front of him, and began kissing him.

Jasper let Peter kiss him. He didn't want to be rude and decline, and kissing wasn't that big a deal. He liked the feel of Peter's lips on his, and when Peter weaved his hand through Jasper's hair and pulled him closer, another part of Jasper liked it too.

Peter heard the groan and smiled. He ran his palm down Jasper's side and along his thigh, then settled it on top of Jasper's crotch, eager to feel evidence of his effect. It was there, all hard and ready, and Peter ran his hand along the length.

He climbed into the bed next to Jasper, not pausing the kiss, and from that angle he was better able to gain access. He pulled away just enough to watch Jasper's face as he fumbled with his zipper, and when Jasper didn't protest, he used both hands to get Jasper's pants undone and off.

Jasper wasn't sure what was going to happen. All he knew was that he loved it when Peter was kissing him. He felt it all the way deep inside, right down in his balls. But lying half-naked in front of Peter was unsettling. Jasper knew it wasn't who he wanted to be with, but his brain stopped caring as soon as Peter's hands were on his dick.

He let Peter touch him, and he enjoyed it. And as he lay there panting, he decided he _could_ do this.

Edward had Bella, and now he had Peter.

.=.=.=.=.

Edward was miserable. He felt stupid getting ready for school the next day, subconsciously running his hands through hair that was no longer there. And the bits that were felt wrong, having been cleaned of all traces of oil and instead styled with some expensive product called "wax." It felt thick on Edward's fingers, and he constantly had to wipe it off on his clothes.

As he walked through the parking lot, he could feel their eyes on him. He could only imagine what they were saying, but he was sure they'd accuse him of trying to fit in, of trying to be popular. They would never know he'd objected to the haircut when Bella had explained exactly what she wanted to the stylist. They'd both been shocked that he preferred the length, and then gone onto to school him on facial structure and how hair could enhance features. It had been easier to zone out and let them have their way with him.

Now he wished he'd tried harder to resist.

"Doesn't he look great?" Bella asked as she approached with Jessica.

Jessica looked him over, her face different, lacking its usual malice. "He does," she finally said, pouting her lips. "He looks really good," she said, her voice suggestive.

Edward felt fear well inside him. He searched the parking lot, habitually looking for Jasper. But once he found him, he remembered why everything was different now.

Jasper and Peter were standing together and they were both smiling. Then Jasper looked up. His expression was full of longing, but when their eyes met, Jasper looked away.

Edward wondered again if he should just get over what he felt about Peter so he could have his friend back. Feeling lonely and insecure, he ran his hand through his hair only to find it missing and his fingers coated with gunk again.

"Oh, you shouldn't touch your hair," Bella said. "It will ruin it."

She turned back to Jessica and continued chatting about how it had taken three washes to get Edward's hair spotless. They both made gestures as they made fun of his hygiene, and Edward saw how alike they were. He hated Jessica, how could he like Bella?

She used to be nice, all quiet and shy. But lately, she'd become one of those people, the ones who picked on him. And that's what she was doing now.

And that's when Edward realized. He didn't like Bella's smelly vag and now, he didn't like her either.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" he asked.

Jessica winked and Bella laughed and then Edward led her away from everyone else's ears.

"I don't like my hair," he began.

"Don't be silly! You look amazing. I swear Jessica even wants to hump you now."

"But I don't like it," he said, remaining firm.

Bella finally sensed something was wrong. "Fine, so you don't like your hair. It'll grow back."

Edward sighed and shook his head. "It's not just the hair. I don't think we really . . . fit together."

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" She scoffed, affronted by Edward's excuse. "I've tried so hard to fit in with you," she whispered furiously. "The one time I get you to change something so that you'll fit in with me, you act like this?"

She was starting to yell at him. Edward hated it when people yelled at him. He gave himself a quick pep talk about why he was doing this, and about how the yelling wouldn't actually hurt.

"I don't really like you, Bella," he persisted.

She crossed her arms and fumed. Tears sprung to her eyes as she clenched her jaw, glancing around to see who was looking. Edward didn't want to see her cry, so he turned and began walking away.

"Fuck you!" Bella screeched.

Edward started to run.

"And you owe me eighty dollars for your goddamned hair, asshole!"

.=.=.=.=.

Jasper looked everywhere for Edward. He'd run after him as soon as he'd figured out what was going on, but Edward was fast. Plus, Edward knew all the best hiding places, having been picked on more than Jasper in Freshman year.

After searching for a few minutes, Jasper pulled out his phone and tried calling. He left a voice mail when Edward didn't pick up, and then sent him a text for good measure. Class was starting soon so he abandoned his search, returning to Peter and picking his bag up from the ground.

"Find him?" Peter asked.

"No," Jasper answered. He was worried about Edward. What if some of Bella's meathead friends decided to have a go at him this afternoon? After Jasper found him, he decided he wouldn't leave his side.

"You're doing it again," Peter said suddenly.

"What?"

"That snorting thing. I thought you were going to try and stop."

Jasper shook his head. He didn't recall agreeing to stop doing it. "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose," he said.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help."

Jasper shook his head, knowing Peter was being purposely picky. He'd been all passive-aggressive ever since Jasper hadn't returned the hand job yesterday afternoon.

Jasper had planned to, but when Peter pulled his dick out, everything felt all wrong. Jasper had lied and said he didn't know what he was doing, and then claimed his mom would be calling him for dinner soon. Peter had looked like he suspected the truth, but he'd still stuffed his semi into his pants and left, leaving Jasper feeling guilty and ashamed.

"I suppose you're going to take Edward back now that Bella's dumped him," Peter commented.

"He's my best friend," Jasper said, as though that should explain everything.

"But _he_ doesn't accept you."

Jasper shook his head. Peter had no idea about how close his and Edward's friendship used to be. He must have snorted again because Peter was giving him a disgusted look. He began to curse Edward for never letting him know about the noises but stopped as his thought sank in.

Edward had never asked Jasper to change, not once.

"He does accept me. All of me," Jasper said defiantly. _Unlike you,_ he thought to himself.

"Well it didn't look that way in your bedroom."

Jasper stifled a snort and recalled how Edward hadn't talked to him since that Friday night over a week ago. Was it really because he'd been kissing Peter? He'd looked so sad, betrayed even, but that wasn't what had happened. Jasper only kissed Peter because Edward had Bella.

But he didn't anymore.

.=.=.=.=.

Edward had considered running to the hospital and begging his father to let him skip school, but the odds of his success were so low, he saved himself the trouble and just headed for the bathroom. He secured himself into a stall and sat on the toilet seat, feet up, and counted down the minutes until class began.

Luckily, he only shared one class with Bella, but her friends were in most of his others. He knew how this would work—he'd seen it before. They would all gang up whoever it was they didn't like to bring them down. They would pass notes containing nasty messages, and they'd magically end up on Edward's desk to be found by the teacher. They'd run into him on purpose on the walk between rooms. And then there was Jessica's vicious rumours. Edward had no doubt that by the end of the day, he'd be a bed-wetting, momma-loving, reason-for-every-detention kinda guy. It wasn't fair, but Edward knew it was just the way things were.

The bell finally rang and he made his way to his first class where he endured the subtle torture that teens have perfected, and then made his way to his next. He moved through the halls with his head down, not even bothering to check who it was that was slamming into him each time. In class he sat in his usual seat, close to the teacher, and absorbed himself in his work, trying hard to ignore the loud whispers and items occasionally thrown at his head.

By lunch, his patience was wearing thin and he really needed a break. Ignoring his grumbling stomach, he prepared himself to spend the hour out of reach in a bathroom stall, but when he went to leave the room, he found Jasper waiting for him.

"I tried to find you," Jasper said. "This morning, when you ran off." Jasper's eyes lingered on Edward's hair, causing Edward to subconsciously drag his fingers through it and then have to wipe them off.

"Your hair looks nice," Jasper added, swallowing and casting his eyes down.

"I hate it," Edward admitted. "It was Bella's idea."

Jasper nodded. He'd gathered as much when she'd screamed about it that morning.

"Will you come back at our table now?" he asked.

Edward wanted nothing more than to go back to his old life, to sit with his friend and be blissfully unaware of everything around them. But he knew things wouldn't go back to the way they were, not now that Peter was there. Still, he did prefer sitting with Jasper and Peter to sitting in a bathroom stall.

"Will Peter mind?"

Jasper smiled a little as he snorted, noisily and with a rebellious edge. "I don't care if he does."

Together they walked to the cafeteria and bought their food. Years of being social outcasts and the butt of too many pranks had made them wary and that combined with their gaming instincts made them difficult targets. On the way back to their table, both boys avoided having their trays upended and Edward spotted a trip line well before they were anywhere near it. Together they were a team. An unbeatable team.

Peter was already at their table, watching as the boys approached together. He knew Jasper preferred Edward to him, but that hadn't been an issue while Bella was around. He could see now it would only be a matter of time until Edward understood his feelings for Jasper. They boys sat down and Peter's tension doubled. He wasn't a fan of being subtle, of not embracing who you were, which is why Edward had always rubbed him the wrong way. If he was going to lose Jasper to this boy who suddenly had fantastic hair, he wanted to do it on his terms.

A disgusting noise grated through his thoughts, tangling them and clouding their clarity. It was Jasper. Again.

"Can't you at least try," he begged.

Jasper glanced at Peter over the top of his sandwich, then at Edward, and he made his choice.

"I don't want to stop," he said firmly.

Peter took a deep breath, already knowing this was it. In his mind he told himself he'd always preferred Eric anyway, and with that, he turned and stared at his almost boyfriend.

"Jasper, I don't think you're the right person for me," he said quietly but clearly, a slight shimmy of his head for emphasis.

Jasper didn't argue, just chewed his food and nodded. After waiting thirty seconds for impact, Peter stood from the table, loudly pushing out his chair, and strutted through the cafeteria with his head held high. Every set of eyes in the room followed Peter's departure, their tongues already lapping at the potential new gossip.

Jasper didn't want to dwell on what had happened. He just wanted to forget Peter. And Bella. He wanted to have Edward all to himself like he used to, and he wanted them to be able to indulge in their favorite pastime again.

"So, my mom is taking Rose to Seattle again this weekend. If you wanted, we could finally play the new Rampage properly. Just the two of us." As soon as the words left his mouth, Jasper cringed. "I mean, just playing. We don't have to do any of that other stuff."

Edward was still a little stunned at seeing Peter and Jasper . . . _break up?_ so he didn't catch the unintended implication of Jasper's words. Edward never noticed Jasper's sniffing and snorting, and had been more that a little perplexed as to what had set Peter off like that. It was so sudden and unprovoked, and he'd been pondering whether Peter was in fact a little nuts when Jasper's words interrupted him.

All he really heard was Jasper inviting him over, just like he used to. Edward felt something shift back in his world, like everything was aligned again, and he nodded, causing Jasper to smile.

Jasper returned to eating his lunch, cursing Peter for making him aware of his noises. He glanced at Edward and saw he didn't seem to mind, so Jasper decided to stop worrying about it and instead relaxed, enjoying his turkey on rye. At the same time, Edward surveyed the room, meeting several pairs of hostile eyes. This was what he was used to. This was why it has always just been Edward and Jasper.

They ate their lunch while the students gossiped: about Bella and Edward, and then, about Peter and Jasper. Soon the conversations were focusing more on the people who actually mattered to them. The boys in the corner once again began to fade into the periphery, invisible, easier to ignore than interact with. The bubble enveloped their table and provided its flimsy shield from the rest of the world.

.=.=.=.=.

"Hey," Jasper greeted Edward as he let him in the house.

Edward felt like he was coming home. It had been a while since Mrs. Hale had gone away for the weekend, and Edward had missed their weekends with just the two of them.

They prepared snacks together, crisps and candy that would sustain them through the night. Then they hauled it into Jasper's dark room and took their usual seats. Edward couldn't avoid flashing back to the sight of Peter, his body curled around Jasper's as they'd kissed. Edward had felt so hopeless then, but now, freed from the immediacy of failure, he felt something else.

The memory was kinda arousing.

Edward remembered other things then: the porn, and the hand jobs, and the sucking. Unwillingly, he let out a deep breath, calming his body's reaction, and was filled with curiosity as to whether he and Jasper could resume their second favorite pastime as well.

"I have a confession," Jasper said suddenly, and Edward started, worried he'd done something inappropriate while he was daydreaming.

Jasper looked contrite as he continued. "I've kind of been playing the new Rampage every night. I figured that we probably wouldn't be doing this again, so I . . ." he trailed off, and Edward felt bad for having severed his time with Jasper so abruptly.

"That's okay," he responded. "I deserve the disadvantage for being such an idiot."

Jasper shook his head. "You weren't the only idiot though. I shouldn't have done that stuff with Peter when you were here. I just wasn't thinking . . ." If he had, he would have realized he didn't even like Peter that much. He liked the kissing, and the touching and the excitement, not who it was with.

"What . . . stuff?" Edward asked, not certain he wanted to hear the answer. He'd thought it was just kissing, but what if there was more? He was scared all of a sudden, scared that Jasper had been able to do those things with Peter. He'd secretly hoped they hadn't, that their relationship had been like his and Bella's. Flaccid.

"It wasn't like that," Jasper began then stopped, uncertain how to proceed. "We kissed that day when you walked in on us, and then once more. Peter . . . he came over one day after school." Again Jasper had to stop. He didn't want to tell Edward what happened because it revealed just how much he'd used Peter, but he knew what Edward was like, that he'd need to know in order to sleep at night.

"He . . . gave me a hand job."

Edward's face fell. Thinking it and having it confirmed were two very different things. Jasper saw and rushed to set things right.

"It wasn't like that . . . I couldn't do it back." He waited for Edward to look at him, to understand what he was really saying. He hadn't been able to because it wasn't Edward. He'd only ever wanted it to be Edward.

Finally, Edward registered what Jasper had said and raised his head. Quietly, his voice shaking a little, he responded. "Like I couldn't do it to Bella."

Jasper nodded, and Edward understood. "Because I didn't want it to be Bella," he said.

Jasper sniffed long and hard as he tried hard to keep down the thrill seeping through his body. Edward had practically admitted he preferred Jasper to Bella, but he hadn't said it. Until he did, Jasper was not going to jump to conclusions. Instead, he was going to make his own admission.

"I wanted it to be you."

As the words left Jasper's mouth, he couldn't stop the wave of relief and anticipation that swept through him, somehow finding its way to his fingertips and making them tingle. His eyes never left Edward's face, and he waited and waited for his response.

Edward's eyes widened and he swallowed. He pictured it, how different everything would have been if it had been Jasper instead of Bella. He would have been happy, glad to see him, eager to spend time together. He would have been willing and able to . . . do more, and not be disgusted by what he found. He imagined the kisses, how different they would be. With Bella it was an effort, something he had to do because it was expected of him. With Jasper it would be . . .

His eyes fell to Jasper's lips and he felt like he _wanted_ to kiss him. He wanted it to be him, not Peter, but he wasn't forward like that, so he sat frozen to the spot.

Jasper was done waiting. Edward's eyes had been locked on his lips for too long, and he knew it would have to be him that made the first move. So Jasper slowly rose from his place on the couch and approached Edward, squeezing in beside him on the single. He inched forward, not liking how unnatural it all felt, and planted his lips on Edward. He'd expected to begin slowly, but Edward had his mouth open almost straight away, his tongue in Jasper's mouth.

Edward felt everything he hadn't been able to feel with Bella, plus things he didn't know he would. Need, desperation, excitement, desire . . . happiness—they were all there, pumping through his body, making him cling to Jasper harder and pull him closer.

The kiss wasn't smooth and sexy like the one Jasper had shared with Peter, but it lacked nothing. Jasper was finally kissing Edward and he let out every needy noise known to man as he clawed at his body, returning Edward's enthusiasm completely. While Edward relished in his discovery, Jasper basked in the fulfilment of his wildest dreams, unable to stop the smiles that sprung to his lips whenever he realized it was real.

They didn't play Rampage II that night, although they did the next.

.=.=.=.=.

Over the next few months, gaming remained a big part of the boys' lives, something they could always look forward to. It was still their way to escape the rest of the world and dominate over realms of their making, avoiding everything they didn't like about their own. They still met up every weekend to play, and still got excited over the latest releases. Eventually, even Edward's hair grew back, and everything was almost as it always had been.

Almost.

The only real difference was that gaming was officially relegated to their second favorite activity.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading x<strong>


End file.
